


Red

by perezimovat



Series: The Dragon and the Bear [4]
Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragons - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-28
Updated: 2013-08-28
Packaged: 2017-12-24 23:22:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/945899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perezimovat/pseuds/perezimovat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiccup arrives on the cliffs of DunBroch on his regular visit to see Merida.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red

It was the first thing Hiccup saw as he guided the black Night Fury towards the cliffs that peaked in orange and yellows and reds as the sun descended on another day. There, standing proudly out, with her hair flying and dress flapping around her ankles, Queen Merida of Clan DunBroch. It was her red hair. It was a beacon, leading him to his second home. A place where he felt he could escape the trials and tribulations of being the chiefs son. Normally red made Hiccup squirm. It was the colour of flames, of danger, the name they had given to the Red Death, how he had become crippled and to his mind, disfigured. 

But with Merida, with Merida it was the colour of sunrises on brand new days. It was passion. It was the colour of her cheeks when she blushed over something Hiccup said or did - either embarrassing himself or making her laugh in some way. 

It was the colour of her bright rosey lips. The colour of her spirit and personality and temper for doing what was right.

And Hiccup, when he was with her, he couldn't stop thinking about how much he loved the colour red.

He leaned forward, pressing his weight against Toothless and landed gently on the soft grass. Merida, hair blowing ecstatically in the rolling wind moved towards him and petted the dragon with soft as butterfly wing hands. Toothless loved it, moving his head into her touch and nuzzling her, purring as he did so. Hiccup rolled his eyes, smirking slightly as he pulled off his helmet and brushed his fingers through his hair. 

Merida looked up at him. Blue eyes and a sparkling smile.

"Good trip?" She asked.

"One of the good ones," Hiccup replied, unbuckling himself from the saddle and cranking the lever that unhooked his prosthetic from the gear. He stretched his left leg first, moving his knee up and down. Satisfied, he lowered himself off of the dragon. As always, he pressed his hands on his lower back and stretched his spine muscles before turning back to Toothless and opening the pouch on his waist. Pulling out a rather large meat joint, he hurled it into the air, letting the dragon catch it with his mouth. Toothless nestled in the grass, making a small fire so he could cook the meat and make it easier to digest. Hiccup gave Toothless a small scratch under the head fin before turning to Merida.

"He always gets a bit hungry after a flight." He lied.

"You flew without a break didn't you?" She replied, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow, giving Hiccup a glare that he thought was only reserved to Astrid. 

"No," Hiccup replied, trying to wave it off. Merida gave him a look and he cleared his throat.

"Stop doing that," Merida shook her head. 

Hiccup didn't tell her that the main reason that he flew without taking a break from the air was that he had been thinking about her constantly. Living on Berk without her near him, gave him a physical ache in the pit of his belly. An ache that he never wanted to be free from. One that gave him ease, only when he knew it wouldn't be long until his next visit. Without realising it, Merida had taken his hand in hers before reaching up and giving him a warm kiss that seemed to make his weather beaten skin heat up.

"I missed you too," She chuckled. And Hiccup realised that she had guessed the reason for his hurry to be there. Hiccup blushed deep crimson and bit his lip, shaking his head. Merida brushed his hair from his face, cupping his chin in her hands. They stood there for the longest time, just taking in each others features; flickers of eyelashes, tiny freckles, the small white scar under Hiccup's lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. 

Merida reached forward, ever with her personality of taking and doing what she wanted, she kissed Hiccup. It caught him off guard for a second, before he returned it in kind. His hands gently rubbing her back as she moved her own around at the crook of his neck, keeping him there whilst they embraced.

She was the first to pull away, leaving Hiccup hanging for a moment before he regained composure. 

"Wow," He muttered. "Maybe I should leave a little more often if that's going to be my welcome back,"

"Don't push your luck," Merida replied, slapping his shoulder. "i miss you, but I have a Kingdom to run,"

Hiccup wiggled his eyebrows. "You consider me a distraction?" He asked.

"I consider Toothless a distraction," Merida said, giving a cheeky smile. "I consider you to be... Accomplice to the distraction."

"Well in that case," Hiccup said. "I shall take the distraction away and you will only see us once a year,"

"No, Hiccup," Merida wailed. "That's mean!"

"You used me!" Hiccup cried playfully. "Used me for a dragon. Oh, and I thought you loved me!"

Merida pouted. "You're dead Haddock," She cried, lunging at him. Hiccup managed to dodge her catch. 

"HA!" He cried before realising that she was readying up for another attack. "Oh," He dodged her again and began to run as fast as his prosthesis would let him. Merida chased after him, laughing as she did so. 

"STUPID USELESS!" She cried, lifting her skirts so that she'd have much more of a chance of gaining up on him. He stuck out his tongue at her and stumbled away. Merida glanced over at Toothless who, for all intents and purposes, lifted his shoulders into some sort of shrug. She frowned and began to run after him again. Hiccup stopped, waiting for her behind a bush, peaking out at the cliff edge. He frowned. She had disappeared. Fearing the worst, he removed himself from his hiding place and began to move across the grass looking around. 

Beginning to panic, Hiccup reached the cliff edge and looked down at the crashing waves on the spiky rocks below. 

"GOTCHA!" Merida cried, grabbing him and pulling him back playfully. Hiccup staggered, before turning as Merida began to run away again. He grabbed her around her waist and hoisted her back as she giggled playfully.

"OH YEAH?!" He cried. 

"LEMME GO!" Merida laughed.

Hiccup moved his fingers around her waist and up under her armpits.

"NO HICCUP DON'T!" 

Hiccup dropped her and gave her a small peck on the cheek. She jolted him in the ribs with her elbows, her face bright red from it all. 

"I love you," He said pressing his head against her neck. 

"Stop being a sap," Merida replied, pushing him off. 

He smiled at her, nuzzling her again before lifting a strand of her hair and pecking at her chin and cheek. Merida took his hand and guided him over towards a blanket she had laid out on the grass. They sat down together and Hiccup began to take off his heavy black leather armour, tossing it to one side. 

"How is Berk?" Merida asked corking open a bottle of wine. Normally Hiccup wasn't one to drink it. Back home, he drank ale like his father because the water was that dirty. Wine was DunBrochs drink of choice when thirsty. He was not the biggest fan of wine. But he knew it was better than asking for something from the local water supply. She watched Hiccup with some curiosity as he unclipped his prosthetic, stretching out his stump and tying his trouser leg around the end so that it wouldn't bother him. He took the goblet from her with a soft smile and took a sip.

"Oh same as ever," He replied. "A little gloomy, a little rainy, a little stormy and y'know, full of dragons." Toothless overheard this and raised his head looking at Hiccup with a scowl. "Not you bud, you I like."

"Snoutlouts Monstrous Nightmare being a problem again?" Merida asked, nestling down beside him as the sky turned at last from red to the purple and dark blue of night. 

"Snoutlouts Monstrous Nightmare is always a problem," Hiccup replied. "That and breeding season is near so we'll have a batch of new dragons over Snoggletog."

Merida giggled, shaking her head. "Why you Vikings ever chose such a stupid name is completely beyond me," 

"Yeah, me too," Hiccup shrugged.

"Still winning the races against Astrid and the others," She asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Oh, Merida," Hiccup tutted, shaking his head. "They've got nothing on me,"

They laughed together. Merida put the goblet down and lifted her hands towards her hair, trying to smooth it out and tie it back. Hiccup watched her patiently, resting on his right elbow with his own goblet cupped in his hand. He sat up a little straighter and sipped his wine before putting it to the side and taking her hair in his hands. "You should leave it out," He said to her.

"I want it up," She replied. "Braided and out of the way,"

Hiccup nodded separating three sections of the thick curls before sectioning them into three pieces too. After each section of braid was completed - it didn't take too long - Hiccup braided the last of it together into a thick tight plait. 

"It still makes me laugh that you can do my hair better than me," Merida chuckled as he wrapped a piece of yarn around the end to keep it from falling out.

"Yeah, well," Hiccup shrugged, pecking her on the ear gently. "It's expected that Vikings know how to do their hair properly. Helps us in battle."

"Does it really?" Merida asked, leaning into him. Her hair was soft and a little prickly against his chin. 

"Well, the Gods like it. They think we're trying to look like them and so they protect us." Hiccup said. "They're very vain."

"Tell me about the Gods," Merida said. 

Hiccup gave a sigh. "Well, humans came from under a giants armpit," He said. "And there are four dwarves holding up the corners of the sky. North, East, South and West. For many years, Frost Giants lived on the land, terrorising the humans and using them as slaves. And then Odin came with the other Gods and promised that if we worshipped them, he'd get rid of the Frost Giants."

Merida was tangling her fingers between Hiccups. "You don't really believe that do you?" She asked.

"Well," Hiccups shrugged. "It's not like we believe in forest horned Gods and Triple Goddesses," 

"Hey!" Merida elbowed him and he laughed.

He chuckled taking up his goblet again. "Besides," He said teasing her slightly. "Do you see any Frost Giants around?"

"Just because there are none, doesn't mean that Odin and Thor are all real," Merida fumed. 

"I'm just telling you what we believe," Hiccup threw his hands up in surrender. Merida hit him in the arm playfully before bringing her goblet to her lips and resting beside him. Hiccup sighed and pointed to the stars. "Above us is the realm of Vallhalla, and it is said that when we die, bravely, we enter its gates and drink and feast and fight and come back to life each day." He said. "The Gods join us and we have great adventures and heroic battles."

"And what happens if you don't die in battle?"

"Then we are shamed. We do not go to Vallhalla, we go to Hel's hall and spend our days with her."

"Hel?" 

"Daughter of Loki,"

"Loki?"

"God of Mischief." Hiccup clarified.

"Loki is a silly name," Merida said, looking up at the stars.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed, kissing her softly. "It is." 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to each other breathe. Toothless had made himself a bed in the undergrowth, blowing hot flame to create some warmth before flapping his wings, stretching them out before wrapping them around his slender black body. Hiccup sighed as Toothless looked up, and nodded towards his back. Pulling his metal prosthesis back on, Hiccup stumbled to his feet moving towards the dragon. Merida watched him patiently as he unhooked the saddle and the tail from Toothless' back. He opened his pouch again and threw another chunk of meat into the air, the Night Fury quickly grabbing it with his teeth and chewing on it. 

"Good boy," Hiccup muttered tiredly as the dragon settled down. Putting the mechanisms to one side, Hiccup moved back towards Merida, who was unpinning her tartan sash from her dress and laying it to rest beside her. "You okay?" He asked.

"Sit down," Merida said, rolling her eyes. 

Hiccup oblidged letting her curl around him. "How's being Queen of DunBroch?" He asked.

Merida let out a groan. "Let's not talk politics," She muttered.

"It's not politics," Hiccup said with a shrug. "I'm just curious,"

"It's hard being Queen," Merida replied. "So much to do in day and so little time,"

Yet she had taken the time to see Hiccup during the small time he could be there. He couldn't help but be a little touched by the motion. He wrapped his arms around her and let her rest in his lap. She watched the stars shoot across the sky. 

"Tell me," Hiccup insisted, letting his hands run through her free curls.

"I have the games to arrange in a few days," Merida huffed. "Lord MacGuffin is trying to push me to form a strong alliance with his clan by marrying wee MacGuffin. Who, don't get me wrong, is a good man, but..." Her voice trailed.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "But what?" He asked.

She shook her head, hair bouncing. "You know exactly what," She said. "And my mum - even though she's not pushing me this time, knows that I know I have to marry. Seal bonds and alliances and have heirs." She sighed. "I'm not ready for marriage." She looked up at Hiccup from his lap and gently stroked the freckles on his face, his bright green eyes fluttering softly as he watched her. "Hiccup..."

"It's okay," He replied, leaning down. "I know what you mean."

"Not to say that I'll never not want to get married," She said. "But, right now... I have my duties and I need to focus on them for a moment."

There was an unspoken tension suddenly. They had never talked much on the subject of marriage, though the Clans knew that they were officially courting. Or at least trying to. The distance between them made it difficult. And Merida couldn't be away from her post for too long. Hiccup had never thought about marriage. Before Toothless and the Red Death and all, he had been expected to marry early and have children so that he could help in his fathers war against Dragons. But that had all changed. He wasn't tied anymore. If he could pass on the reigns to Snoutlout and let his cousin become chief instead, he would move to DunBroch permanently. Alas, he felt like it would be the final act of betrayal towards his father. 

"If we could," Merida breathed after a moment of unsteady silence - filled only by the obnoxious sniffing that Toothless liked to do when he was pretending to be asleep but in reality listening to the conversations around him. "That if we didn't have all these things tying us down; being Queen, being dragon trainers, doing this, doing that and so on... Do you think we'd marry?"

Hiccup nodded. "Probably,"

"I'd be an amazing wife," Merida said, nestling down.

"Then why don't you marry?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"I was remarking on my skills as a wife Hic, not saying I want to be married by tomorrow," Merida replied.

"I was just saying-"

"What, do you want me to marry Lord MacGuffin's bumbling wreck of a son?" 

"Well no..."

"Then shut up," Merida nestled back down watching the stars glide. "Would you marry me?"

"Is that a proposal or a geniune question?"

"A question with no implications,"

"I would," Hiccup nodded. "In a heartbeat, considering that I was still not tied to Berk and the responsibilites there."

"Dumb responsibilities," Merida mumbled, opening the corked bottle of wine and refilling the goblets again. "To those dumb responsibilities," She said raising her goblet.

"To dumb responsibilities," Hiccup agreed, letting the goblets clink together. Merida raised the goblet to her lips and drank heavily, finishing the entire goblet in a few gulps. She put the cup to one side and let out a huge burp, covering her mouth with her hand. Sniggering she fell over and Hiccup fumed. "Oh come on, you can't just outrank me, but you have to out-man me too?"

Merida snorted in laughter, unable to contain herself, nearly falling over as she did so. 

"Hiccup, you are easily out-manned."

"Thanks for that,"

Merida got up and pulled Hiccup up. "Dance with me," She said.

"Oh, no, I can't..." Hiccup made a gesture. "There's no music and I literally have one foot to step on,"

"You'll be fine," Merida replied, taking both his hands and turning him around into a spin.

"If I fall over I blame you," Hiccup said.

"You ride a dragon!" Merida cried, pulling him around in circles. "How can you not dance?"

"Easily," Hiccup replied, missing his footing slightly. "Besides, no music,"

Merida giggled and began to sing. Though she'd never actively admit it, and though she never sang for anyone but Hiccup or when she was on her own, Merida had a beautiful voice that seemed to emit calm and patience and softness. "See?" She said stopping. "Music,"

Hiccup made a face. "I don't think that counts," He said.

"Does so," Merida cried turning him about again, singing at the top of her lungs. Hiccup tried picking up the tune, but he had always been tone-deaf. So he focused on keeping some sort of rhythm. Merida was less than concerned with trying to dance as she was trying to make Hiccup enjoy himself. As he found some sort of pace, Merida quickly changed the tune to a much more melodic tone. Pressing herself up against Hiccup as they stood swaying to the song. 

"Whoops," Hiccup let himself fall, still holding onto Merida, first onto the grass and they rolled gently down the hill towards where the rug and their discarded goblets of wine still sat. Merida landed on top, laughing. Hiccup was smiling and he reached out to push her hair out of the way and behind her ear. Merida's entire face flickered and she gently leaned forward. Hiccup raised his head, pressing his lips against hers, one hand around her waist and the other cupped around her chin. 

Merida's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him softly before curling up against his chest, feeling his stomach rise and fall with each single precious breathe.

"Hiccup?" She whispered. 

"I'm not going anywhere," He murmured in reply, warpping his arms around her and pulling the blanket around them, swiping away the bugs and muck. 

"Good," She muttered, her eyes shutting. Hiccup, though uncomfortable with his leg still on and making him itch, curled up around her, rubbing her back softly and humming tunelessly as he did so. He rested his head against her. His Queen. The woman that he admired and loved and adored. 

Tomorrow would bring the red sun and he'd have to fly back to Berk. Merida would once again take on her responsibilities as Queen until they could meet again. He hoped it would be sooner than the wait between this visit and his last. But he couldn't promise. His hand gently curled around the hand Merida had on his chest, he held it close, until he too felt sleep reign him in.


End file.
